Anton Khudobin: Focus is on Bruins, not KHL

WILMINGTON — After skating with teammates for the first time since returning from Russia, Bruins backup goaltender Anton Khudobin said that despite recently saying he was interested in playing in the KHL next season, his focus is on the Bruins.

Khudobin, who played for Moscow Atlant of the KHL during the lockout, told Russian media outlet R-Sport that he will consider going back to the KHL when his deal with the Bruins ends after the upcoming season. He insisted Friday that he won’t let his upcoming choice distract him.

“I’m focused right now on this season here,” Khudobin said. “I’m not focused on anything else. We’ll see what’s going to happen after the season. It’s just normal. I’m in the last year of my contract, and you never know what’s going to be. Right now I’m just focused on this season and I want to get ready to play here.”

Khudobin, 26, said that he had previously been interested in playing in the KHL and that his experience during the lockout has helped him understand what playing in the league full-time would be like.

“It was a good experience,” he said. “I was thinking about [playing in] the KHL [in previous years], but I didn’t have a chance to play there. Now I’ve played and I know what to expect there.”

While Tuukka Rask is set to be the B’s No. 1 goaltender this year, a tightly compressed schedule of 48 games in a shorter period of time will mean that Khudobin will still likely get a lot of games this season.

“That’s the good thing for me,” Khudobin said. “It’s going to be lots of games and I have a good chance to play more than I would have in a full season. It’s going to be lots of games.”